Shaolin/Main
Shaolin is a playable hero class in For Honor. Overview The Shaolin are fierce warrior monks known for their fluid fighting style and their prowess with the staff. The Order of Shaolin was formed long before the Cataclysm, when the first monks established a monastery and shared their martial skills with their followers. After the Cataclysm, civil war enveloped the Empire, and the monks honed their warrior skills to preserve a spirituality that was quickly disappearing from the world. If that meant a clenched fist, then these warrior monks would be ready. Today, they spend their days praying, training, and fighting. They hold their prayers close to them at all times and deliver their message with a spiritual force that’s unmatched. Armor The only armor the Shaolin wears are a pair of bracers and greaves. Other than that, he wears the robes and artifacts of his monastary, with tattoos of prayers covering his body. Weapon Staff - A simple but long ranged weapon capable of pummeling enemies in an array of swings and thrusts. Known Shaolin * Wei Chang Trivia *The Shaolin's staff is not static, and has proper physics that allow it to bend flexibly during certain emotes and attacks. *Shaolin was referred to being an Assassin class on the June 14th, 2018 episode of Warior's Den. However, this was a misspoken statement, debunked in other official news and webpages that came later, stating that he is meant to be a Hybrid. **Thus, it is likely Roman, the caster on Warrior's Den who mistakenly called Shaolin an Assassin, meant to say that Shaolin is a hybrid between the Assassin and the Vanguard classes. **This mistake may have also come from the fact that among all the Hybrids, Shaolin is currently the only one with a Reflex Guard which is iconic to Assassin Heroes otherwise. *The Shaolin is based off his namesake, the Shaolin monk. *Some of the Shaolin's designs and gear are a reference to Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, from his shouts when fighting to the inclusion of monkey masks as one line of visuals. *The "Qi" (pronounced ch'i) in Qi Stance is a vital force that is believed, by those of traditional Chinese culture and a few other East Asian cutlures, to exist. This vital force or energy is said to flow through/links all matter and living things. *The Shaolin possesses many moves and stances that are part of Shaolin Kung Fu. **In Qi stance: ***Top Light or side Heavy is the Gong Bu (弓步) stance. However, the knee is bent, which is incorrect for the stance. ***Side Light is the Ban Ma Bu (半马步) stance. ***Top Heavy is the Fu Hu Bu (伏虎步) stance, also known as the Pu Bu (仆步) stance. However, the body is bent over, where the proper use of the stance sees a straight body. **Lotus Leap, the Top Heavy Attack performed from Qi stance, is a move for the staff form, known as "yin shou gun" (阴手棍). *Elegant Lotus initiated to the left from Qi Stance (Light) will trigger any of Shaolin's quotes, including the one exclusive to this specific command. **An Elegant Lotus from Qi Stance (Heavy) or to the right does not use any quotes. **Meanwhile, Astonishing and Bounding Blossom both also initiate random quotes when successful in their Superior Block. **It is unknown if these are bugs. *Due to having four, although randomized and non-customizable, Emotes when holding Qi Stance, Shaolin holds the most executable Fighting Emotes possible during gameplay at six. *Shaolin's Season 10 Execution "Flurry of Blows" is likely based off "Liánhuán Quán" (連環拳; lit. "rolling fist" or "chain punch"), a technique observed in many martial arts where the focus is to overwhelm the opponent with a flurry of punches. **The execution is likely specifically inspired by a scene in the first movie of the Ip Man film series, starring Donnie Yen (who himself has been a Wing Chun practitioner since starring in the first movie) as the titular character. In the referenced scene, Ip Man fights against ten black belts of Karate where near the end of the scene, Ip Man beats down the second-to-last standing black belt with a flurry of punches. *Shaolin's Execution "Maximum Shaolin" may be a reference to Seven-Sided Strike, a move that the monk class could use in the RPG Diablo 3. The following link is a short video demonstration of the move in the game: here. **It could also be a reference to the Sun Wukong's ability to summon clones of himself to attack his enemy. Quotes *'Chinese: '就让我超度你吧 (Jiù ràng wǒ chāodù nǐ ba) - English: "Let my prayers put your soul to rest." **Death Point Strike *'Chinese:' 金刚伏魔 (Jīngāng fú mó) - English: "Vajra conquers the Demon." **Lotus Leap *'Chinese:' 南无阿弥陀佛 (Ná mó ēmítuófó) - English: "Buddha blesses you." **Sun Kick and Flying Monkey *'Chinese:' 金刚不坏 (Jīngāng bù huài) - English: "Vajra is invincible." **Qi Stance (Enter from Light Attacks) into Elegant Lotus (Left) **When Superior Blocking with Bound Blossom or Astonishing Blossom